Looking for advice in Merit aid for a top 1% student

Paying for College
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For us the “being recruited for hockey” ship has sailed. Although the rules recently changed, for D1 it had been that players were almost always recruited and verbally committed in 8th and 9th grade (sounds crazy to me!). If you weren’t committed by the start of your junior year you could pretty much rule it out (for D1). My daughter had serious talks with a couple D1 coaches, but for whatever reason just missed out. She’s still in consideration for one D1 school - the coach tells us they have a goalie committed from last year but they had to delay her a year because she had “off ice issues” and they wanted to make sure she has cleaned up her act before she came into the program. I would have liked to have thought a potential player with grades and attitude like my daughter would count for something, but I’m now pretty much convinced a college coach will take someone with only slightly better skills even if they have “off ice issues” and poor grades - as long as they are just barely admissible by the school.

And as far as D3 goes, I know she will get lots of calls this year, but I’ve researched nearly every school and they are all small liberal arts schools with no merit aid and/or don’t offer engineering as a major. Plus there’s no athletic scholarships at the D3 level. Thankfully my daughter has her academics to fall back on for college.

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Oh definitely agreed. That’s why I’m not even counting her as a second child in college. If she does well enough this year and we think she can handle it, we may have her take classes half time (at community college or CSUF).

There are lots of options for her, and we are working with the Department of Rehab (DOR) for her post high-school needs. It’s just that as of right now it’s not immediately clear what the best course of action is for her after high school.

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Prioritize the schools your DD likes best with a good mix of reach and safety. Get those apps out while energy and enthusiasm are high keeping tabs of merit award deadlines as well getting rolling admissions school apps in early. Then see how far things go with the rest. Maybe you and your DD will get through 20+ schools.

You and DD need to talk to the GC about their procedures. Some schools make it easier than others.

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Instead of paying thousands in application fees, consider being more strategic and forget the tippy-top reaches as you won’t qualify for financial aid and tears and disappointment will envelop your home for the next eight months.

As you move down the selectivity list, more merit $ will become available. Best Name, Lowest Price is my motto, but chasing the Brand Names if you are full pay is a game where the schools win and you lose before you even hit the submit button. They love families who hope to win their lottery. Rejecting applications only helps them to appear more desirable next year, so don’t chase them.

Your daughter may qualify for some Merit $ at Northeastern, but BU is not generous nor a strong engineering school. Consider Worcester Poly Tech…great STEM programs and generous $$ for women…lots of internships/name recognition in Boston. RPI is ridiculously expensive and a poor value but they need women to offset the 68/32% ratio …expect some merit $. Be sure to explore the mandatory, Summer Arch program. It has lots of kinks and parents and students are not happy. Not sure why they are forcing kids, but they need a differentiator to compete.

Let’s hope colleges are now realizing that American families are not going to sell their kid’s futures for an impressive name on their resume–I see the Law of Diminishing Returns more often now, and if the tide of international students dries up, these schools will be forced to lower prices, offer more merit. Supply and Demand may determine price but more parents are rejecting the value of a 4 year/ $280,000 Bachelor degree after watching their neighbor’s kid live in a basement for YEARS to pay off student loans.

We can’t really expect a 17/18 year old to make a sound financial, 10-year loan decision. Your daughter sounds like a STAR, but let the schools’ chase/pay her to show up on campus next year. Enough of making successful, hard-working parents go broke for the next generation.

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Don’t count on that. I’m not saying it doesn’t happen in NCAA sports, but at the schools you are talking about, they follow the rules. The rule is that merit scholarships are given to those who earn them academically, not because the coach pulls strings. The NCAA keeps a close watch on merit money and athletes, and they have to be in line with the stats or financial need of other non-athletes.

I think it often works against the athletes, that they might not get an extra award because of the NCAA, especially for Ivy and Div 3 schools that just don’t have wiggle room to call an award an athletic scholarship. The coaches make sure they get all tey are entitled to, but not more. Hockey players get more scrutiny because of the Canadians and the exchange rate.

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@itsgettingreal17 If their EFC is 30-40 and they can pay 15-20, merit or aid at Rice can bring cost to their desired budget.

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I am looking at the merit aid of every potential college for us to apply to in detail. There are currently 73 colleges on our list but maybe only half of those we are considering and are worth reviewing in detail.
So far here’s my take on 8 colleges. If anyone has any additional details on these schools that I missed, please let me know! I’ll keep adding to this list throughout the week…

(YES) USC : I counted at least 115 full tuition scholarships - based on that alone I think it will make the “apply to” list

(NO) Harvey Mudd : Looks like they only have 8 full tuition scholarships, and the remaining merit aid is pretty scarce. Even though my wife is a graduate of one of the Claremont Colleges (Pomona), it’s probably not worth applying to

(NO) Franklin Olin : It’s not exactly clear to me what their merit aid situation is. They state that every single student gets a $25K merit award scholarship. But if your financial aid award is > $25K, which is probably would be, it seems like you don’t see any of that $25K merit award. I can’t find any other merit award scholarships. Based on that, plus the limited engineering majors, it’s probably not worth applying to.

(YES) Colorado School of Mines : After being accepted, they may invite you to apply for the Harvey Scholarship Program which is full tuition. Since they have such an easy and free application, it seems worth it to apply here.

(Probably not) Rose Hulman : They have the “Rose Hulman Merit Scholarship”, but I can’t find out anywhere what the amount is. They have another that is half full ride, but even that would be too expensive. Assuming these merit awards don’t stack with financial aid awards, it doesn’t sound like there are any full tuition awards, and is probably not worth applying to.

(YES*) Virginia : it’s not really clear from their website exactly how much merit aid they award. But, my daughter was nominated by her school for the Jefferson Scholarship which offers full tuition. Although the odds of actually winning one don’t look good, we are obligated to apply to this school.

(Probably) Georgia Tech : Looks like the offer 40 full ride scholarships via the Stamps scholarship. I’m thinking that makes it worth applying to.

(YES) Pittsburgh : Lots of full tuition and full ride scholarships - Seems worth applying to.

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Which colleges have you decided are potential safeties, with automatic for stats or NHRP scholarships that are sufficient to bring the price down to your limit?

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" I would have liked to have thought a potential player with grades and attitude like my daughter would count for something, but I’m now pretty much convinced a college coach will take someone with only slightly better skills even if they have “off ice issues” and poor grades - as long as they are just barely admissible by the school."

Kevin (talking to you like you’re my younger brother)- boy, you need a quick attitude adjustment. Maybe the “off ice issues” of this other HS kid is bulimia, or a recent hashimoto diagnosis- and the kids grades are BETTER than your D’s, she just needed a year of treatment. Maybe her mom has been diagnosed with a terminal illness and so she opted to take a gap year to help with younger siblings. You have no idea what this kid’s academic profile looks like, and you don’t know what the issues are, so assuming that she’s an intellectual slouch with a drug problem isn’t really fair game.

Why am I bothering to tell you this- since you are NOT my brother and I don’t know you? Because your D is going to be on the receiving end at some point. Why did she win the XYZ scholarship and another girl with higher scores who is a NMF did not? Because she’s Latina (we all know it’s because of your D’s work ethic and charm and leadership and that’s why she impressed the trustees so much). Why did she get a full tuition scholarship to a college which allegedly doesn’t give athletic scholarships, only merit or need? Because she’s an athlete of course. Why did she win an outside award which stacks with the school’s own merit, bringing the total cost down to 10K? Because she’s from California and the school in Missouri wanted geographic diversity. Etc.

It stings to be on the receiving end of these comments. Better to have an attitude adjustment now- remind everyone that “we run our own race”, and don’t get in your D’s head with the “woe is me, life is unfair”. Your D made the decision to play competitive sports, which means she’s going to lose out to another team, or a stronger player, or get shafted by a coach. That’s the game she’s chosen to play. She could have entered the competitive chess circuit, and you wouldn’t have to contend with opponents who have “off ice” issues but potentially a higher ranking.

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As I mentioned, just last year my d’s bf received a full ride plus to attend Clarkson. She had good stats (is attending UNC-CH OOS) but didn’t make it into any ivies. She played hockey, but that had nothing to do with the merit - she didn’t start until high school and was really more of a practice player on the hs team. They must award more than what they publicize on their website. My niece graduated two years ago and received at least half tuition, though her stats weren’t as high.

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OP, you might want to read this before wasting your daughter’s time and your money on apps to Ivy League schools.

http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/athletic-recruits/2149415-no-secret-athletic-money-ivy-league.html#latest

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So something to consider and could be a long shot is University of Michigan. Yes they have “some” full scholarships and have gotten endowment money to try to meet OOS financial need. Some have been surprised at what they were offered the last few years. They also have a competitive club women’s hockey team. https://www.michiganwomenshockey.com/
Just a FYI.

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@KevinFromOC

So on your list of 8 schools above…none were sure things. Where is your daughter’s sure thing for admission AND affordability. I don’t see that yet.

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I have not read through this entire thread so please forgive me if I am repetitive. I would like to comment on Pitt and Jefferson Scholars.

My daughter received the full tuition scholarship to Pitt, and was invited to interview for additional money to cover room and board. I loved Pitt…she did not. It’s a wonderful school…it’s important to apply NOW. Today. Do not wait…unless things have changed, the school is rolling admissions. She applied as soon as the application opened and within 3 weeks she had a full tuition scholarship.

My D was also nominated for Jefferson Scholars. She was invited to the first and second interviews (there were 3 total) but did not get asked back for the 3rd, final interview in Virginia. This award is not based on stats…everybody has top stats. This was the one award that made us realize how many superstars there are outside of our HS bubble. All of these kids and their accomplishments were truly outstanding. Some were authors, some had already published in science journals, one had his pilots license and was using it to volunteer, etc. I definitely think your daughter should apply (she seems like an amazing kid) but it’s important to keep all expectations in check when applying for these kinds of awards.

I think you should add at least one school that is a sure thing for admissions and affordability. I agree with thumper…I don’t see it yet either.

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I thought somewhere it was mentioned that he /she was applying to Alabama… That would be an automatic on her stats.

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OP, you do realize that Harvey Mudd has a student population of 844? So 8 scholarships is roughly 5%. Georgia Tech has over 15,000 undergrad students, so it seems that 40 scholarships is a far lower percentage. USC has 19k undergrads, so 115 scholarships isn’t particularly generous either. In addition, Harvey Mudd grads are the highest post-grad earners in the country. Seems that it’s a good school for her to apply to.

Demographics and geographic diversity play a role too. USC has a Hispanic population of nearly 15%. Harvey Mudd is about the same. However at Georgia Tech, it’s just above 7%. HM and USC both have substantial numbers of Californians, where as GT, a public school, admits 30% of students from about of state and considers geographical residence important. You should see what each college prioritizes. I recommend that you check out the Common Data Set, especially section C7, for every college on your list. You can just google the name of the college and CDS.

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This should be your first answered question if bringing costs down below $15,000 is an absolute goal. It is achievable, but it takes being willing to attend a lower ranked school if the extremely competitive merit options don’t work out. Having affordable options they are willing to attend should be first priority to talk about bc they may ultimately be the real deal.

Again, to keep things in perspective, UVA received 2000 nominees for the Jefferson. 36 awarded. https://news.virginia.edu/content/36-outstanding-high-school-seniors-win-full-merit-scholarships-attend-uva

GT received over 20,000 EA applications, accepted 4,000, around 12% OOS. https://www.ajc.com/blog/get-schooled/four-thousand-students-got-into-georgia-tech-today/Xj5LVzQgkFzRUpI3bkpI1K/
Less than 2% of admitted students receive Stamps. https://www.news.gatech.edu/features/stamps-presidents-scholars

Yes, apply. Absolutely!!! But, equally, the application process needs to be kept very, very real. For example, 2 posters on this forum with incredibly competitive kids (a student accepted to Stanford with a perfect 36; another awarded other top competivite scholarships and accepted to Harvard) were not invited to an interview weekend at a school where both were very well qualified to be among the very top contenders. Why weren’t they selected?? Who knows. Only the scholarship selection committee.

Apply, but keep it real. Have affordable schools that she will be happy to attend constantly in the forefront of the conversation.

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OP feels UCI as a commuter is an acceptable safety. If the DD is in board with that, fine. I think it would be a tougher go than for most kids to move back home and commute to college after spending those years at boarding school. She was across the country for several years! Not saying, it shouldn’t be an option, but I agree that some away safeties should be on the list, and as usual , Bama leads the list. Nebraska, UNN, Some other suggestions as well Early and rolling apps should be done for a number of these programs before seats and money run out and then OP’s DD can go to town on the lottery tickets to her heart’s content until she runs out of steam.

Yes, the Jefferson is a great example of how much work these awards can take. THREE interviews to snag it!?!

I urge OP to apply to Rice and JHU because of the new initiatives they have put in place that can have the possibilities of giving great financial aid. No stacking and integrating issues if it’s all financial aid. I don’t think the NPCs have been adjusted yet to take these new programs into account. Call them and ask. Look up what the parameters for this aid. Both schools top schools with great engineering programs.

Yes, it’s possible that a D3 hockey school comes up with merit and the sport is considered even awarding the award. In fact, for such schools that have merit money, I’d say it’s highly likely. But the problem is the amount. Not all that much merit money out there at the very top LACs with hockey programs. Maybe a bit here and there, but they would wipe out the Fin aid in most cases at a lot of the schools. As for the Ivy’s, there is no merit at all, and OP would either have to cough up the gap in loans as many parents end up doing. Enough outside merit money is crazy lottery. You need a full tuition amount that kicks in for all 4 years. A one time hit if $25k which is a great scholarship doesn’t touch what is needs. And remember, whatever merit one gets could reduce the need, affecting financial aid

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@Mom2aphysicsgeek , perhaps those students weren’t given those scholarships because they didn’t demonstrate genuine interest. Harvard doesn’t consider interest, GT does. For the benefit of the OP, again, demonstrating interest, along with essays, recs, etc…is how kids get scholarships. Hard to do a great job with all those elements when you’re casting a wide net, rather than a targeted one.

OP, you can pay a relatively small amount of money for various websites that claim to be reasonably accurate at calculating chances. That might be a better use of money than spending cash on apps to schools that, even if accepted, will be impossible to afford. And take advantage of the guidance at the private school your D attends.

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For OOS, I think Pitt has gotten a bit stingy. Friend’s kid, who was accepted at UPenn this cycle, got accepted with $0 and no honors college from Pitt. Did get merit and honors from U Del, but not near your budget.
WVU is very generous, I would give it a look. They outline the merit on the website so you can run quick numbers.